Rafael Benitez Joins Napoli as Soccer Coach to Replace Mazzarri

Rafael Benitez will coach Napoli for
the next two seasons after guiding Chelsea to the Europe League
title as interim manager of the English soccer team.

Napoli President Aurelio De Laurentiis announced Benitez’s
hiring last night on his Twitter feed, describing the Spaniard
as “A man of great international experience. A leader.”

Benitez, 53, will replace Walter Mazzarri, who joined Inter
Milan last week. Napoli finished as the runner-up to Juventus in
Italy’s Serie A this month and will play in the Champions League
for the second time in three seasons.

“Now that the agreement is confirmed, I can say I am very
happy and very satisfied for having committed to a great club
with an illustrious heritage like Napoli,” Benitez said in
comments on his website. “I understand the history of the city
and how the club forms a fundamental part of the culture and
traditions of Naples.”

Benitez took Chelsea to Europa League victory this month
and coached Inter Milan in Serie A for the first half of 2010-11.
He’s also managed Valencia and Liverpool.

Mistrusted by some Chelsea supporters following his
Liverpool tenure, Benitez was hired on a seven-month contract in
November. He also guided the Blues to the F.A. Cup semifinals
and a third-place finish in the Premier League, ensuring their
11th straight Champions League appearance.

Benitez also won Spain’s La Liga twice and the 2004 UEFA
Cup with Valencia, before leading Liverpool to the Champions
League title in 2005.

Napoli’s appearance in Europe’s elite competition in the
2011-12 season was its first since Diego Maradona played for the
club in the 1980s. De Laurentiis bought the team when it was
forced to restart in the third tier after going bankrupt in 2004.